Menhaden

            An interesting topic I learned about in one of my other classes was the overfishing of Menhaden. Menhaden are a keystone species, and are often fished for the use of their oils, but not for consumption by humans. The issue with the overfishing of this species is caused by their diets and the zooplankton they consume. Most fish in the Atlantic consume phytoplankton, but the menhaden consume zooplankton, and if they continue to be overfished then the zooplankton populations will rise, which in turn causes algal blooms and red zones in large bodies of water, which is negative for many different species. This was interesting to learn about because of the impact one species can have on a whole ecosystem.